Often, a need arises to splice a first length of cable to a second length of cable of a cable assembly. Cable connection assemblies have been developed to meet this need. For instance, referring to FIG. 1, one previously developed cable connection assembly 10 for connecting a first length of cable 11 to a second length of cable 13 of a cable assembly is shown. The cable connection assembly 10 includes a crimp connector 16 which is crimped to couple a first conductor 12 of the first cable 11 to a second conductor 14 of the second cable 13. The first and second conductors 12 and 14 each pass coaxially through an insulative conduit 18 and 20 of the first and second cables 11 and 13. The insulative conduits 18 and 20 each slidingly pass through a connection collar 22 and 24, respectively. The connection collars 22 and 24 include threaded portions 26 and 28. The threaded portions 26 and 28 are adapted to interface with a pair of threaded portions 30 and 32 disposed on a sleeve 34 which is a hollow, cylindrical member machined so as to have a variable wall thickness and the threaded portions 30 and 32.
The cable connection assembly 10 also includes a pair of seal assemblies 36 and 38. Each seal assembly 36 and 38 includes a pair of annular shaped washers 40 and a compression seal 42. As the pair of washers 40 are pressed toward one another, the compression seal 42 disposed between the washers 40 expands outward to sealingly engage the sleeve 34 and inward to sealingly engage the outer surface of the insulative conduit 18 and 20. To force the pair of washers 40 toward one another, each of the collars 22 and 24 include a shoulder 44 and each end of the sleeve 34 includes a shoulder 46. As the collars 22 and 24 are threaded onto the sleeve 34, the opposing shoulders 44 and 46 force the washers 40 towards one another, forcing the compression seal 42 in sealing relationship with the sleeve 34 and the insulative conduits 18 and 20. Of note, although not shown, the connection assembly 10 may be wrapped/encased with an insulation layer as is well known to those skilled in the art.
Although this cable connection assembly 10 is effective, it is not without its problems. For instance, each cable connection assembly 10 must be custom designed for each cable to be spliced. Moreover, for the seal assemblies 36 and 38 to properly seal against the outer surfaces of the insulative conduits 18 and 20, the exact diameter of the insulative conduits 18 and 20 must be known so that the parts of the cable connection assembly 10 can be designed accordingly such that the seal assemblies 36 and 38 are able to seal properly against the insulative conduits 18 and 20 and the sleeve 34.
The custom designing of the cable connection assembly 10 for each application increases the cost of the cable connection assembly 10 and causes a delay in how fast a proper cable connection assembly 10 can be provided to the end user. Further, the cable connection assembly 10 is difficult to assemble due in part to the large number of parts, the inability of the sleeve 34 to slide over the collars 22 and 24, the fact that the collars 22 and 24 have to be threaded into the sleeve 34, and due to the fact that the proper amount of compression must be applied to the compression seals 42 for them to seal properly.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved cable connection assembly that is inexpensive to manufacture, reliable, easy to assemble, seals well, and/or which can be used with a wider range of conductor and/or insulation diameters.